‘The geriatric hospital felt like a backwater’: aspects of older people’s nursing in Britain, 1955–1980

Aims and objectives.  The aim of this article is to examine the experiences of ward‐level nurses who cared for older people in general hospitals between 1955–1980. Background.  There is very little published on the history of older adult nursing and no recent material from the United Kingdom. There are, however, the works of Cecily Hunter in Australia and Erica Roberts in Canada. It is the intention of this study to contribute to this important area of research. Design.  This is an oral history project in which 20 nurses who had worked on older adults ward between 1955–1980 were interviewed. Methods.  All the interviews were taped, transcribed and data‐themed. Ethical clearance for the project was obtained from the University Ethics Committee and all participants were anonymised. Results.  Many of the nurses found the experience very difficult, though there were exceptions. Several participants had worked on older adults ward during their training and then had never wanted to return. Most described a paucity of resources and longevity of staff on the wards. Conclusions.  Using the sociological theory of Erving Goffman, this article introduces a novel method of understanding nursing history, although his ideas have been used in medical history. The value of his theories for this study is in the identification of nurses as being part of the same system as the patients themselves. Implications for contemporary policy, research and/or practice.  For nurses to care effectively for their patients, nurses themselves must be valued. Subordination and regimentation tend to dehumanise the carers which, in turn, dehumanises the cared for.